53 fatalities on Donegal roads since 2018

53 road fatalities have been recorded in Donegal since 1918, members of the Road and Transportation SPC (Strategic Policy committee) of Donegal County Council were told at their last sitting before the local elections by Bryan Cannon, Director of Roads and Transportation.

Devastated families had to deal with ten Donegal fatalities last year, the same figure that was recorded six years ago and again in 2020. 

The number of fatalities in Donegal over the last six years was: 2018 10 road deaths; 2019 8 road deaths; 2020 10 road deaths; 2021 7 road deaths; 2022 8 road deaths and in 2023 10 road deaths.  

In what was a grim presentation to the members of the committee, they were told that more than a quarter of the 187 fatalities recorded nationally last year, were in the 16-25 age group.

Almost half the fatalities (48%) were recorded between 8pm and 8am and again almost half (48%) of fatalities on Irish roads occurred between Friday and Sunday. 

In 2023, approximately 7 in 10 fatalities occurred on rural roads, with a speed limit of 80 km/h or over. 

On a national basis, of the 187 fatalities in 2023, 70 were drivers, 34 were passengers, 44 were pedestrians, 27 were motorcyclists, 9 were cyclists and 3 were e-scooter users.

In other words, driver fatalities represented a third of all road deaths last year (37%) while pedestrians represented almost a quarter of all fatalities (24%). 

June (10) and September (9) saw the lowest number of fatalities. May (20), August (26) and October (23) saw the highest number of fatalities. 

On average over the period 2018-2022, there were 10 serious injuries for every fatality on Irish roads. In 2023, based on provisional figures, there were seven serious injuries for every fatality.

A number of members expressed their deep sadness at the statistics that had been presented and noted that last year’s Donegal road fatalities were the same as had been recorded back in 2018. 

Cllr Michael McBride described the presentation and report as “alarming” while Cllr Michael Naughton suggested that he “never saw a speed van after midnight”.

“They are out shooting the man that is going to work,” he claimed.

ABOVE: The number of fatalities recorded in each county in 2023 

Committee member George Mills claimed that “lack of road policing” was “causing a lot of the problems”.

Cllr Johnny McGuinness said that for regional roads, things like cats eyes and proper markings would be a start, “to make them as safe as possible”.

He added that there was “a distinct lack of road markings” on Donegal’s regional roads and when drivers were out at night, especially with visual impairment, many found it difficult to drive.

He added that the council should expedite matters by purchasing their own lining equipment, rather than constantly having to go out to tender for these works to be carried out by outside agencies.

Another SPC member Vincent Callaghan said that, like a car requiring an NCT, so should the county roads be given intermittent checks to grade them, a suggestion supported by Cllr Michael McClafferty, who cited the N56 Creeslough to Carrigart road as an example.

He also lambasted that private companies were making money from people near town speed zones who were just a “couple of miles over the speed limit”. 

Cllr John Sheamais O’Fearraigh said that Donegal road tax collecting revenue should be kept in the county and said it was shocking the number of deaths that were taking place in rural Ireland, along with urban areas.

Chair of the Roads and Transport SPC,  Cllr John O’Donnell also commented on speed vans “just sitting on a verge” where speed limits were coming up “to get their numbers up for their employer”.